The inaugural ANDRA Drag Racing Masters have brought the Australian National Drag Racing Association back to Sydney Dragway for the first time in years
As more than 150 racers from all across the country descended on Sydney Dragway on Saturday (January 24) for the ANDRA Drag Racing Masters, it marked not only the latest exciting hunt for ANDRA Gold Christmas Trees and championship points, but also the return of ANDRA drag racing to the NSW venue.
More than $70k in cash and prizes was also up for grabs across an exciting line-up of brackets, which included the Doorslammer Masters, Pro Mod Masters, Extreme Motorcycle Masters, Pro Stock, and the ANDRA Regional Sportsman Championship.
In the feature brackets, the Doorslammers and Pro Mods were each chasing $10k for a win, while the two-wheeled titans of Extreme Motorcycle had $3k on the line.
Taking home the winning cheques and the Gold Trees at the end of the one-day spectacular were Nasser Matta (Doorslammer Masters, runner-up Ronnie Palumbo), Joe Gauci (Pro Mod Masters, runner-up, Carl Cox), and Alex Borg (Extreme Motorcycle Masters, runner-up Ryan Franks). Pro Stock meanwhile was taken out by Thomas Leake, after Darryl Stephen abandoned his final run.
Leake and Borg had their hands full at the presentations, also collecting the New Gen Business Park Top Qualifier honours for their respective brackets, alongside Brodie Zappia (Top Doorslammer), and Carl Cox (Pro Mod).
For the ANDRA Regional Sportsman Championship competitors, it was the penultimate round of the 2025/2026 title chase for the 120+ racers across 11 brackets, who battled it out for championship points, Gold Trees, and a share of a $20k prize purse.
Taking out the Gold ANDRA Christmas Trees were Aliza Harris (New Gen Business Park Junior Drag Bike), Zayne Condello (Junior Dragster), Jack Matosevic (Goodyear Racing Super Street), Gareth Wilcox (Ballistic Performance Parts Modified Bike), Sean Maher (The South Australian Drag Racers Association Super Sedan), Fiona Crisp (Gallagher Modified), Michael Riches (New Gen Business Park Competition Bike), Josh Boskovich (Top Sportsman), Shane Kramer (New Gen Business Park Supercharged Outlaws), Luke Cartledge (Super Comp), and Jason Wilson (Three Dimensional Construction Super Gas)
Celebrated as the runners-up were Cooper Plummer (New Gen Business Park Junior Drag Bike), James Barlow (Junior Dragster), David Matosevic (Goodyear Racing Super Street), Matthew Jones (Ballistic Performance Parts Modified Bike), Kevin Bowker (The South Australian Drag Racers Association Super Sedan), Kenny Stewart (Gallagher Modified), Cheryl ‘Ms Vrod’ Beddoes (New Gen Business Park Competition Bike), Darren Whitford (Top Sportsman), Tim Stewart (New Gen Business Park Supercharged Outlaws), and Tony Romeo (Three Dimensional Construction Super Gas).
Also recognised at the end-of-day presentations were the New Gen Business Park Top Qualifiers for the sportsman brackets: Bailey Paul (New Gen Business Park Junior Drag Bike), Taylor Horton (Junior Dragster), Malcom Todd (Goodyear Racing Super Street), Dean Jamieson (Ballistic Performance Parts Modified Bike), Andrew Ashley (The South Australian Drag Racers Association Super Sedan), Adriana Cartledge (Gallagher Modified), Edge Mallis (New Gen Business Park Competition Bike), Darren Whitford (Top Sportsman), Bruno Matijasevic (New Gen Business Park Supercharged Outlaws), Connor McClure (Super Comp), and Adrian McGrotty (Three Dimensional Construction Super Gas).
In the Doorlsammer Masters Nasser Matta took home not only the gold tree but also $10k cash for his winning efforts over runner-up Ronnie Palumbo in the A-Final. Matta (5.789s/252.05mph) overcame a disadvantage at the start line to drive around Palumbo (5.838s/242.76mph) at the top end to take the win. In an interesting twist, Palumbo had stepped into the Chevrolet usually piloted by Nasser, while Nasser took the wheel of the car of his son Salim, who had to attend a wedding on Saturday.
Top qualifier Brodie Zappia retired early due to engine issues in the West Australian’s ACDelco Monaro, where Matta (6.041s/237.96mph v 5.887s/242.67mph) pipped him at the line by just .05s. Zappia wasn’t the only Doorslammer entrant to strike trouble this weekend either, with Geoff Gradden unfortunately damaging his ‘slammer during Friday’s test session and Peter Lovering suffering mechanical issues after falling foul of the tree in round one against Palumbo.
Brody Davies put on a strong showing in what was the NSW racer’s debut weekend in a Doorslammer. Davies completed a 10.778s/104.47mph solo pass in round one, before improving by over two seconds in another solo pass in round two (8.628s/120.04mph).
“There are a lot of big feelings around this one. This is massive, it is our dream, it is my sons’ dream – all of my sons race, and my dream is to have three, maybe four cars out this year for all my sons and me, and maybe Ronnie can come drive with us too!” Matta grinned.
“This is the best feeling today after all of our hard work, and hopefully we can have many more.
“Today has been great, a great day for the sport, and the day ran really smoothly. To see Pro Mod, Doorslammers, and everyone else out there, everyone was happy, there were a lot of smiles, families having fun – it was great.
“I have been racing since I was 16 years old and it was all ANDRA back then and my race number now is still an ANDRA number. We appreciate all associations and all the volunteers – we have a small community here but we put on a show and I just hope it gets bigger and bigger.
“I want to thank every racer, from Junior Dragster to Top Fuel, the new racers and the veterans, everyone who comes out and puts in their effort and their time into racing; without them we would not have this sport growing so much. I think what we do here in Australia is world class, and you compare what we do here with our population of 27 million to America’s much larger one, and I think we are doing pretty well!
“I want to send the biggest thanks to my wife Mellisa and my sons, I love them to death – God, do I love them. And to our crew and sponsors, to everyone who supports us – we couldn’t do this without everyone and there are just too many people to name.
“Thank you also to Ronnie who stepped up last minute to drive my son’s car, and thank you to ANDRA and to Tim (McAvaney) for putting this event on – we hope they put on many more, and we will be there!”
In Pro Mod Masters, Joe Gauci and Carl Cox entered the final with one win apiece. Cox claimed victory in round one, before Gauci responded by going one better in round two, setting up a grudge match in the A Final.
Cox went into the A Final with the lane choice, however his comeback run after some time spent away from the sport came to an end when he redlit. Seemingly unfazed by his opponent’s mishap, Gauci – who was supported by Carl Cox Motorsport this weekend – put the pedal to the metal, getting dangerously close to the centre line as he powered down the track to cement his win and secure the $10k in cash.Cox earlier Top Qualified with a 5.832s/213.84mph pass, before improving on that mark in both racing runs leading into the final, recording a 5.776s/245.18mph in round one and a 5.734s/249.26mph – a track PB for Cox – in round two.
In the opening round, Gauci (5.871s/265.17mph) secured the better reaction time by .55s over Cox, who drove through to take the win on a holeshot. Round two proved more straightforward, with Gauci defeating Cox off the line and driving through for the win with a 5.987s/254.95mph pass.
Friday’s test session put an early damper on the weekend for Robert Campisi when the engine in his Ford Mustang let go, ruling him out for the remainder of the event. Friday was also a difficult day for Greg Tsakiridis, suffering damage during the pre-event test which brought his weekend to an early end as well.
“We have been on a bit of an emotional roller coaster lately, over the last few events we have attended, as we have been struggling with the car,” explained Gauci.
“But this weekend we have slowly started to make some good progress with it, and it has all finally paid off.
“We were very happy with the win, and it was fantastic to go racing with Carl. It has been a great weekend!” he added, while thanking Carl Cox Motorsport, Dandy Engines, ProTrans, FuelTech Australia, VP Fuels, ProFab, Precision Performance, and PST Performance.
The Extreme Motorcycle Masters were absolutely rocking on Saturday as Alex Borg (6.972s/214.25mph) took the A Final win over Ryan Franks (7.111s/207.78mph). With nothing between Borg’s .062 and Franks’ .064 reaction times, it was anyone’s race from the outset, but Borg would go on to make it three from three in the final pass, while claiming the $3k prize as well as the Gold tree.
Borg’s two wins in each of the previous rounds over Brant Gilliver (7.066s/216.00mph v 10.857s/147.09mph) and Darren Foley were more than enough to send him through to the main event. Borg was also the first racer in the bracket to dip into ‘the sixes’ during the round two win (6.927s/215.44mph) over Foley (12.585s/53.53mph). Franks likewise had a solid run across the day, with a round one victory over Mike Lawson (7.124s/207.08mph / 8.291s/174.51mph) and again in round two (7.341s/202.82mph / 11.303s/82.73mph).
Jake Hamilton-Moderate also had a competitive outing of three seven-twenty passes and a comfortable win over Foley in round one and a solo pass in round two, capped off by the B-Final win (7.283s/200.83mph) over Brendan Miglionico, who struggled at the start line and wasn’t able to drive out of it. Leonard Azzopardi took the C-Final win in a solo run, while Tony Frost (7.350s/179.73mph) was going, going, gone in the D-Final to claim victory over Foley (7.966s/190.48mph) who had a troubled launch and ran close to the wall.
“I would like to thank ANDRA and Sydney Dragway for a great event, I really enjoyed the entire day and how smoothly everything ran for us and all of the other categories,” Borg said.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better day, and I really appreciate everybody for being so accommodating towards us; Extreme Bike is our family.”
In Pro Stock, Thomas Leake enjoyed a solo A-Final win when Darryl Stephen had to abandon his final run at the 11th hour. Leake didn’t let that stop him from putting on a show, sending his Pontiac GXP down the lane in 7.075s at 194.63mph.
Peter Mammone’s solo B-Final didn’t go to plan in what should have been a simple A to B run when the chutes shook out during the burnout, and the pass was aborted as the Ford Mustang was pushed back behind the starting line.
After a hot start to the day, the Pro Stock racers were enjoying seemingly perfect track conditions by round two, as the air temperature began to drop and latent heat remained in the track. In round two, Leake (7.049s/194.49mph) nabbed the win over Mammone (7.449s/186.64mph), while Stephen ran a solo for 10.444s at 94.18mph.
“This is a big one, our first win in the GXP,” Leake said.
“I couldn’t have done it without my team and their hard work and dedication. This result belongs to them as much as it does to me.
“The ANDRA Drag Racing Masters was a great day of racing. I want to send a big shoutout to all of the officials for their hard work on such a smooth-running event.
“I am truly grateful to everyone who has been a part of this journey so far – this one is for B & D Leake!”
In Gallagher Modified Kenny Stewart was no match for Fiona Crisp, whose RT advantage helped seal the win in the Altered over Stewart’s Dragster. Before meeting Stewart in the final, Crisp first dispatched Teagan Smith and New Gen Business Park Top Qualifier Medallion recipient Adriana Cartledge in rounds one and two. Stewart also took wins to get the final run, first over Paul Ronald Fletcher in round one, and then Chelsea Smith in round two.
“I am really stoked to win at my home track, Sydney Dragway, and to win my first ANDRA Gold Tree after 21 years of trying,” Crisp grinned.
“I had a great day, and everything just worked.
“It truly means the world to me and I cannot thank ANDRA, Sydney Dragway, my family, and my team enough for being with me today and over the years.”
In New Gen Business Park Competition Bike it was Suzuki vs Harley when eventual winner Michael Riches lined up against runner-up Cheryl ‘Ms Vrod’ Beddoes. Running the Chicago Shootout format this weekend, both racers enjoyed wins in each of the preceding rounds, with Beddoes getting the best of Riches in round two. Before that, Beddoes enjoyed a bye, while Riches took a win over New Gen Business Park Top Qualifier Medallion recipient Edge Mallis, who did not continue after round two today. In round three, Beddoes pipped a red-lighting Nathan Stone while Riches had a bye.
“Honestly, it feels amazing to win the New Gen Business Park Competition Bike class – it is my first finals win, and to take home a Gold ANDRA Christmas Tree is an amazing feeling,” Riches said.
“Getting a Gold ANDRA Christmas Tree is the pinnacle of drag racing for us, and (I did it) in only my second Competition Bike race, after stepping up from Modified Bike. So, I am extremely proud to be taking one home.
“The event ran flawlessly for us and I can’t thank ANDRA and the ANDRA staff enough for making this event happen, and I can’t wait to keep racing at more ANDRA events in the future.
“I also want to thank my partner Kristy for all of her help and support, the Formation Riders Social Motorcycle Club, Crux Leathers, Team Digga Motorsport, and Leonard and Deanne Azzopardi at Azzopardi Racing.”
In Super Comp, Luke Cartledge took the outright win following a round one victory over Kim Fardella and a semi-final bye. He had no competition in the final contest of the evening, as New Gen Business Park Top Qualifier Medallion recipient Connor McClure was unable to undertake the preceding semi with fluid leaking from his car, following a round one bye. McClure’s opponent for the semi-final, John Kuiper, would have taken the win, but he did not successfully stage and therefore, no winner was declared from the McClure/Kuiper match-up.
“We had a great day today, being our first quarter-mile event with the new car and new combo, and me having been out of the seat for a while,” said Cartledge, who licensed his new car at the previous round of the ANDRA Regional Sportsman Championship, Portland’s South Coast 660, earlier this month.
“I am absolutely rapt with how the car is performing early on. In qualifying we ran quite close to the record on an early shut off pass. After a few good rounds of racing, we managed to get the job done.
“I would like to thank my crew and my family – I am stoked to finally have an ANDRA Gold Christmas Tree to put beside my Winternationals tree from a few years ago. The ANDRA team did a great job at putting the event on today, and we can’t wait to come back!”
In Three Dimensional Construction Super Gas, winner Jason Wilson lined up against runner-up and New Gen Business Park Top Qualifier Medallion recipient Tony Romeo in the final run, after both racers delivered sensational performances across the day. Wilson raced through the previous three rounds of racing, knocking out Colin Griffin in round one, John Somoracz in round two, and Adrian McGrotty in round three. Romeo continued on from his strong qualifying run with a win over Joe Polito Jr in round one, Joe Catanzariti in round two, and Luke Romeo in the semi-final on the way to the final run.
“I am very happy with the day,” Wilson said.
“It was a long and hot day, and a big weekend driving up from Melbourne on Friday and home again on Sunday, but you know, we would obviously do it all again next weekend!
“It was my first time racing here at Sydney Dragway, so to get this result is just perfect. The car ran faultlessly all day, we qualified number three, and it was good to have 15 cars, which is one of the biggest fields we have had for quite some time.
“It was great that ANDRA got together with Sydney Dragway to make all this happen, and the racers supported it in all of the brackets, which was good to see.
“I would like to thank AutoTech, Race Radiators, Pro Automatics, and Premier Roof Coatings; my crew for the weekend: Ross, my wife Michelle, and my daughter Grace; as well as Three Dimensional Construction for sponsoring the bracket, and all the other Super Gas competitors, ANDRA and Sydney Dragway – and of course all of the volunteers who do all this for us so we can do what we do.
“Now we look forward to the Grand Final – we are capped on points now with Graeme Spencer and Adrian McGrotty so we will definitely go! This is the first time I have been in this position to be this high in the points, so we will go and see what happens!”
In New Gen Business Park Junior Drag Bike Aliza Harris and Cooper Plummer both had multiple wins going into the final Chicago Shootout round, but it was Harris who got the job done to take the win over runner-up and New Gen Business Park Top Qualifier Medallion recipient Plummer. The final round was the second time the pair faced off across the day, with Plummer first taking the win over Harris. To start the day in round one, Harris took the win over Austin Walpole, while Plummer won over Bailey Paul. In round two, the pair switched things up, with Harris winning over Paul, and Plummer over Walpole, before meeting in round three and again in the final.
In Junior Dragster Zayne Condello went all the way in a bumper field to seal the deal over runner-up James Barlow in the fourth round final. From the beginning, Condello powered to victory over Jacob Longo (round one), Cody Hunt (round two), and Lily Vickery (round three) – who sent home New Gen Business Park Top Qualifier Medallion recipient Taylor Horton in the previous round – to meet Barlow in the final. Barlow’s journey saw the South Australian racer take the win over Lilly Horton (round one), Liam O’Neill (round two), and Savanna Condello (round three) to get to the final.
In Goodyear Racing Super Street it was a family affair in the final run with winner Jack Matosevic getting the better of his uncle and runner-up David Matosevic. To get to the final, Jack was victorious over Craig Warren (round one), Henry Spicak (round two) and New Gen Business Park Top Qualifier Medallion recipient Malcolm Todd (round three). David, meanwhile first got the better of Mark Elbourn in round one, Mark Hopkins in round two, and Lisa Garbellini in round three before lining up for the final pass.
In Ballistic Performance Parts Modified Bike Matthew Jones started the elimination runs with a bye, before sailing through to the final, where he faced off against winner, Gareth Wilcox, but not before ousting Rob Church in round two. Before dispatching Jones in the final, Wilcox had earlier defeated New Gen Business Park Top Qualifier Medallion recipient Dean Jamieson in round two after Jamieson’s bye in round one. Before that, Wilcox sent Derryn McGregor packing in round one.
In The South Australian Drag Racers Association Super Sedan, Sean Maher went all the way to the end with a win over runner-up Kevin Bowker. Maher and Bowker both enjoyed byes in the 17-car field to get to the final pairing, with Maher’s coming in round two, and Bowker’s one round later. In round one, Maher took care of Adam Hunter, while it was Steve Hunt’s turn to say goodbye in the semi-final. Bowker meanwhile made quick work of New Gen Business Park Top Qualifier Medallion recipient Andrew Ashley in round one, ahead of doing the same to Matthew Gay in round two.
In Top Sportsman Josh Boskovich claimed victory over runner-up Darren Whitford when the South Australian and New Gen Business Park Top Qualifier Medallion recipient had to be pushed back after his car wouldn’t fire. To get to the final Boskovich first sent Brett O’Connor packing in round one, before doing the same to Darryl Stephens in round two and Pete Hamilton in the semi-final. Whitford, meanwhile started the day with wins over Iraklis Kazanzidis and Tommy Turic in rounds one and two before a semi-final bye.
In New Gen Business Park Supercharged Outlaws, winner Shane Kramer knocked out New Gen Business Park Top Qualifier Medallion recipient Tim Stewart in the final match-up, relegating the Victorian to the runner-up position. To get to the final Kramer got the racing runs started with a win over Kasey McClure in round one, before a bye in round two. Stewart, meanwhile, had byes in both rounds one and two to proceed unchallenged through to the finals.
For full ANDRA Drag Racing Masters results, please visit https://www.andra.com.au/series/results/
ANDRA thanks Sydney Dragway and all of its volunteers and sponsors for an outstanding racetrack and a well-run event.
ANDRA also thanks the participating companies of the ANDRA Racer Support Program, who rewarded the winners and runners-up of their sponsored brackets with gift vouchers today: Ballistic Performance Parts (Modified Bike, Junior Drag Bike), Atlantic Oils (Super Sedan), Powerplus Racing Fuels (Supercharged Outlaws, Super Gas), Speedflow Products (Supercharged Outlaws, Super Street), Shinko Motorcycle Tyres (Competition Bike), Maxima Racing Oils Australia (Competition Bike) and Race Parts Melbourne (Modified).
Attention now turns to the 2025/2026 ANDRA Regional Sportsman Championship Grand Final on April 18 at Dragway at The Bend. It all comes down to this epic one-day show where racers across the 12 sportsman brackets will fight to see who will rejoice in all the championship glory.
For more information, please visit thebend.com.au/dragway
For more from ANDRA, visit www.andra.com.au
